System for loading train of cars with solid fluent material



March 26, 1968 P. F. GIESKING SYSTEM FOR LOADING TRAIN OF CARS WITH SOLID FLUENT MATERIAL 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed May 24, 1963 W NWM i I Eh. g

March 26, 1968 P. F. GIESKING 3,374,903

SYSTEM FOR LOADING TRAIN OF CARS WITH SOLID FLUENT MATERIAL Original Filed May 24, 1963 s Sheets-Sheet 2 March 26, 1968 P. F. GIESKING 3,374,908

SYSTEM FOR LOADING TRAIN OF CARS WITH SOLID FLUENT MATERIAL Original Filed May 24, 1963 5 Sheets-She a 5 March 26, 1968 P. F. GIESKING 3,374,908

SYSTEM FOR LOADING TRAIN OF CARS WITH SOLID FLUENT MATERIAL:

5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Original Filed May 24; 1963 P. F. GIESKING 3,374,908

ENT MATERIAL March 26, 1968 SYSTEM FOR LOADING TRAIN OF CARS WITH SOLID FLU 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Original Filed May 24, 1963 United States Patent 3,374,908 SYSTEM FOR LOADING TRAIN 0F CARS WITH SOLID FLUENT MATERIAL Paul F. Giesking, Seven Islands, Quebec, Canada, assignor to Pickands Mather & Co., Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Original application May 24, 1963, Ser. No. 283,041, now Patent No. 3,251,487, dated May 17, 1966. Divided and this application Oct. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 503,923

5 Claims. (Cl. 214-42) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A vehicle including a receptacle spring-mounted on a wheeled truck, said receptacle having a top opening in the form of a hatch normally closed by a hatch cover, is loaded at a loading station with solid fluent material derived from a storage container for the fluent material located at said loading station as follows: The storage container is provided with at least one outlet and with means including a cam follower-controlled means for effecting discharge of fluent solids from said storage container through said outlet. The hatch cover of the vehicle receptacle is movable between a generally horizontal closed position and an upright open position, and is provided with a longitudinally extending cam track facing upwardly when the hatch cover is in its open position. Means is provided for arranging the vehicle for movement along a path of travel as will carry the hatch of the vehicles receptacle under said container outlet, and at the approach side of said loading station there is provided means for opening of said hatch cover, said cam track then being engageable with the aforesaid cam follower means, when the vehicle reaches the loading station, to effect discharge of fluent material into said hatch while the vehicleis moving. The cam track becomes disengaged from the cam follower means by the lowering of the receptacle on the vehicles springs, thereby terminating discharge of fluent material when a predetermined weight of the material has been loaded into said receptacle. The hatch cover is reclosed by means located at the departure side from the loading station.

The present application is a division of application Ser. No. 283,041, filed May 24, 1963, now Patent No. 3,251,-

The invention relates to an improved system for loading solid fluent material into a train of cars at a loading station while the cars are moving through the station, the fluent material being discharged from container outlets arranged in a line and under which the train of cars passes as the loading progresses. The loading system can be applied to any form of solid fluent material and is especially adapted for loading materials such as grain, cement mix, ores and ore concentrates. The system is capable of loading a plurality of cars simultaneously from different discharge outlets and features an automatic cut-off associated with each car so that only a predetermined weight of the material will be loaded into each car. Each car includes a hatch for receiving the material and a hatch cover, and means are provided in the system for automatically opening the hatch cover on each car as it approaches the line of discharge outlets .at the loading station and for then reclosing the cover shortly after departing from the loading station.

Preferably the means for opening the hatch cover on each car is constituted by a plow or the like which is movable between an upper position sufliciently high to clear the upper structure of the locomotive at one end of the car train and the caboose at the opposite end of the car train, and a lower position in the path of travel of the cars and sufliciently low to cooper-ate with an upstanding mast structurally associated with each hatch cover so that when the mast on each car strikes the plow, the hatch cover will be shifted from its closed to open position. Similarly, it is preferred to use as the means for reclosing each hatch cover a wheel or the like which is also movable between an upper position sufficiently high to clear the upper structure of the locomotive and caboose and a lower position in the path of travel of the cars sufliciently low to strike a part of each open hatch cover as it passes and cause it to close by gravity.

Moreover, since it is assumed the locomotive and caboose will normally be higher than the upper part of the cars to be loaded, i.e. higher than the hatches on the cars, it is preferable to provide each discharge outlet for the material with a spout which can be shifted between an upper position sufliciently high to clear the locomotive and a lower, operating position sufliciently close to the open hatch covers so as to assure a minimum of spillage of the material outside the confines of the hatchway.

In accordance with another feature of the improved load-ing system, the hatch cover opening means, the several discharge spouts and the hatch cover closing means are caused to be lowered automatically in succession as soon as the locomotive passes each of them and are thereafter caused to be raised automatically in succession just before the caboose reaches each of them. Thus the system for loading each car tra'in operates automatically and without the need for any personal attention.

Another feature of the invention resides in novel structure of the car itself. In addition to the hatch cover which preferably extends for the length of the car and includes a mast which is upright when the hatch cover is closed and is adapted to cooperate with a plow or the like for automatically opening the hatch cover, each car includes a trigger plate which extends also for substantially the length of the car, this trigger plate being adapted to cooperate with complementary means provided at each discharge outlet for controlling flow of the fluent material into the open hatch. The height of the trigger plate is determined by the height of the car on its spring mounting and the preferred arrangement is such that when a predetermined weight of material has been loaded into any particular car, the trigger plate will have lowered simultaneously with lowering of the car on its springs to the point where it is no longer effective to keep the discharge outlet open whereupon the outlet is automatically closed to stop flow of the fluent material.

In a particular advantageous arrangement for the trigger plate, the plate is integrated into the hatch cover structure such that when the hatch cover is opened, one edge of the plate faces upward and constitutes a cam track which cooperates with complementary cam follower means which control opening and closing of the discharge outlets. This is of particular advantage when the car is so constructed that end walls of the car converge in the downward direction to facilitate a later discharge of the contents of the car from a dumping mechanism located at the lower part of the car. In such case, the cam track is preferably profiled so as to have a horizontal intermediate portion and two end portions which slope downwardly and outwardly. The downwardlysloping end portions of the cam track are correlated to the slope of the end walls of the car so that a lesser quantity of the fluent material will tend to be loaded into the end portions of the car than will be loaded into the intermediate part of the car. In this manner, the entire car will thus be more uniformly loaded as to the height of the load in the car. When filling of the car is begun, the cars springs carry the car body at maximum height and substantially all of the contoured cam surface contacts a cam follower, and hence feed descends into the car for substantially the full length of the hatch. As the car body progressively sinks on the springs, as successive spouts contribute to its lading, the contoured cam surface does not contact a cam follower quite so soon and it breaks contact with the cam follower sooner; accordingly, the period of feed discharge into the car becomes shorter with each partial filling until the feeding stops altogether. Another novel feature of the hatch cover resides in a spring loaded device for latching the cover in its closed position, this latching device being actuated by the initial movement of the upright mast on the cover as the mast strikes the plow or other similar obstruction so as to unlock the cover and being locked again in an automatic manner as the hatch cover is subsequently reclosed after the car departs from the loading station.

The foregoing as well as other features and objects of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of one embodiment and from the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic view illustrating the novel system for loading a train of cars with fluent material from a plurality of overhead discharge openings at a loading station while the train is moving;

- FIG. 2 is a view showing a typical train comprising a locomotive at the front end, a plurality of cars to be loaded and a caboose at the rear end;

FIG. 3 is a view in side elevation of one of the cars to be loaded, the hatch cover being shown in closed position;

FIG. 4 is a partial side elevation of the upper portion only of the car and with the hatch cover in open position;

FIG. 5 is a view in end elevation of the car, the hatch cover being illustrated in closed position;

FIG. 6 is a partial end elevation of the upper portion only of the car and with the hatch cover in open position;

FIG. 7 is also a partial end elevation of the upper part of the car and with the hatch cover in the act of reclosing after having left the loading station;

FIG. 8 is a vertical transverse section of the upper part only of the car showing details of construction of the hatch cover and its manner of operation between closed and open positions;

FIG. 9 is a structural detail showing the slotted arrangement of the trigger plate (cam plate) to permit the latter to be adjusted relative to the complementary cam follower provided in the discharge control mechanism for each discharge spout;

FIG. 10 is also astructural detail illustrating the manner in which the hatch cover is coupled to the mast which actuates the cover, this coupling including a lost-motion device to permit the cover to become unlatched before its opening movement is begun; and

FIG. 11 is a combined structural and electrical schematic view illustrating one of the plurality of in-line discharge spouts at the loading station and the manner in which the spout is shifted between an upper position so as to clear the locomotive and caboose and a lower loading position adjacent the hatch on a car, the view also illustrating the manner in which the cam plate on the car controls the opening and closing of the discharge outlet from the storage container, and an electrical schematic of the circuit controlled by the locomotive and caboose for lowering and raising the discharge spout respectively.

With reference now to the drawings and to FIGS. 1 and 2 in particular, a typical train of cars 10 to be loaded as shown in FIG. 2 is pulled by a locomotive 11 and a caboose 12 is attached to the rear end of the train. This entire train is caused to move through a loading station S shown schematically in FIG. 1 which is comprised of a plurality of discharge outlets 1-7 located in a straight line, these outlets serving to control flow of the solid fluent material from a storage container 8 into the cars as they pass beneath the discharge outlets. Located at the approach side to the loading station is an actuating member in the form of a V-shaped plow P or the like which is arranged to be shifted between an upper position shown in broken lines and a lower position shown in solid lines as indicated by the double-headed arrow. This plow functions, when in its lower position, to coact with the hatch cover opening structure of each car in the train as it passes by, thus opening the hatch covers on the cars so as to enable them to be loaded with solid fluent material as they pass through the loading station.

Located at the departure side from the loading station is another actuating member in the form of a rotatably mounted wheel W or the like which is likewise arranged to be shifted between an upper position shown in broken lines and a lower position shown in solid lines as indicated by the double-headed arrow. This wheel functions, when in its lower position, to coact with the open hatch cover on each car as it passes by, the wheel striking the hatch cover and causing it to reclose. Thus the fluent material loaded into the cars is protected against the elements While in transit.

Actually, as shown in FIG. 7, two such wheels are desired and each wheel is offset laterally to each side of the center line of the car since the contacting point of the wheel with the open hatch cover is offset from the center line. Thus if one end of the car faces forward when approaching the wheels, one of the wheels will strike the open hatch cover and if the car is reversed end-for-end, the other wheel will strike the open hatch cover.

The arrangement as disclosed for shifting plow P and the wheels W at the approach and departure sides respectively of the loading station S between their upper and lower positions is predicated upon the assumption that the general overall height of the locomotive 11 and caboose 12 will be greater than that of the cars 10 to be loaded and hence, as a practical matter, it becomes necessary to lower the plow P and wheel W after the locomotive passes by so as to be within practical reach of the hatch cover opening means on each car 10, and to thereafter raise the plow and wheels in advance of the approach of the caboose so that these units will not be struck by the caboose, Should, however, this not be nacessary in order to clear the locomotive and caboose the plow and wheels can remain in their lower, operating position at which they function to open and then reclose the hatch covers of the cars in succession.

Associated with each of the discharge outlets 1-7 from the storage container 8 for the solid fluent material is a spout 14 which, like the plow P and wheels W, and for the same assumed reasons, must clear the locomotive and caboose and also be in a position close enough to the car hatch to minimize spillage, is arranged to be shifted between an upper position shown in FIG. 11 in broken lines and a lower, material discharging position shown in full lines. Of course, if there is no necessity for raising the spouts 14 to clear the locomotive and caboose, then the spouts can remain in their lower, material discharging position with the mouth 14a of each spout located closely adjacent the open car hatch as depicted in FIG. 6.

For raising and lowering the spout 14, various structural arrangements are possible. The spouts may be constructed with telescoping sections, or a single spout may be raised and lowered, or the construction may be as illustrated in FIG. 11 wherein the spout 14 is made of rubber or other similar flexible material and preferably includes a series of folds 14b along one side so as to facilitate creation of an elbow action at the folds which enables the lower part of the spout to be bent upward to a substantially horizontal position sufficiently high to clear the locomotive and caboose superstructure as the latter pass under the spouts.

For bending the spout 14 various mechanical, hydraulic or electrical drive arrangements may be employed, the particular one illustrated being comprised of a sector gear 16 meshed with a pinion 17 that is driven by an electric motor M. Pinion 17 is mounted for rotation about a shaft 18 that is supported by a downwardly extending stationary strut 19 that also serves to reinforce the upper part of spout 14, and sector gear 16 is secured to a shaft 20 which is journalled in the lower end of strut 19. Also secured to shaft 20 is a lower strut 21 for the lower part of spout 14 and hence as the sector gear 16 and its shaft 20 are rotated, so also will the lower strut 21 and the lower part of spout 14 be rotated between the horizontal and vertical positions depicted in FIG. 11.

The several motors M for raising and lowering each of the spouts 14 associated respectively with the discharge outlets 1-7 are each controlled by an identical relay arrangement shown in FIG. 11 within the rectangle 22.- A similar type of relay control, each with its operating motor M is utilized for raising and lowering the plow P and wheels W. However, since these will be identical with the control for each discharge spout, they have not been illustrated in detail. Diagrammatic representations of the control, each with its motor M and relay arrangement 22 are, however, shown in FIGS. 5 and 7.

Located within the rectangle 22 on FIG. 11 is a relay 23 which includes an operating coil 23a and two sets of contacts 23b, 23c adapted to be closed and opened together. Relay contacts 23b, when closed, serve to close a power supply circuit from conductors 24, 25 to motor M. Contacts 23b are depicted in the closed position and hence motor M will have driven its pinion 17 and sector gear 16 to the depicted position in which spout 14 occupies its lower, material discharging position.

A manually operated switch 26 can, if desired, be placed in the power supply circuit for motor M so as to enable motor M to be controlled manually and independently of the automatic type of control furnished by the controls on the locomotive and caboose respectively.

Relay coil 23a is arranged to be energized by means carried on the locomotive which complete the relay coil energizing circuit from the power supply conductors 24, 25. In particular, as shown in FIG. 11, the locomotive is provided with an electrically conductive bar type bridge 27 which is arranged to contact and close the circuit between successively arranged pairs of parallel extending conductor sections which are arranged along the path of travel of the locomotive. In FIG. 1, these consecutively arranged parallel conductor sections are designated 1' to 7' and they are coordinated with the consecutively arranged discharge mouths 1-7 respectively of the storage container. Thus in FIG. 11, discharge mouth 1 is represented and hence the associated conductor section is 1'-'1'.

It will be noted from FIG. 1 that the conductor sections 17 are displaced longitudinally from their related discharge mouths 1-7 in the direction of travel of the train through the loading station, this arrangement being provided so that discharge spouts 14 associated with the discharge mouths will be lowered in succession after the locomotive has passed by the spout but before the car behind the locomotive has reached the spout.

As soon as the contact bridge 27 on locomotive 12 closes the circuit between the conductors of section 1'1 1 for example, relay coil 23a will be energized to thus cause relay contacts 23b, 230 to close. Motor M is then energized to shift spout 14 associated with discharge mouth 1 from the raised to the lower position. As explained above, this does not happen until the locomotive has passed by the location of discharge mouth 1. Contact bridge 27 on the locomotive then leaves the conductor section 1'1' but relay coil 23a remains energized due to the holding circuit established for this coil through relay contacts 23c to the power supply conductors 24, 25. The contact bridge 27 next closes the circuit between the conductors of section 2 for a brief period causing the relay apparatus associated with the control of the discharge spout for discharge mouth 2 to be activated and thus lower its spout.

In a similar manner, the parallel conductors of conductor sections 3, 4', 5, 6 and 7 will be connected in succession as the bridge 27 on the locomotive reaches these sections thus causing the discharge spouts related thereto to be lowered in succession behind the locomotive.

A similar parallel conductor section p is located in advance of the conductor section 1' and the relay apparatus correlated thereto and shown in rectangle 22 serves to lower the plow P behind the locomotive.

Another similar parallel conductor section w is located beyond the last conductor section 7, and the relay apparatus correlated thereto and shown in rectangle 22 serves to lower the wheels W behind the locomotive.

After all of the cars 10 have passed the loading station, it is necessary to raise the plow P and all the discharge spouts 14 and the wheels W in succession in advance of the caboose. This is effected by providing another series of conductor sections p", 1" to 7" and w which are adapted to be bridged for a brief period in succession by a conductive bar type bridge 29 carried by caboose 12. In FIG. 11, the two conductors of section 1 are depicted and when the circuit is closed between conductors 1"-1" a shunt is placed around relay coil 23a causing this relay and its contacts 23b, 230 to open. The circuit to motor M is interrupted and this causes spout 14 associated with discharge mouth 1 to raise to its upper horizontal position to clear the superstructure of the caboose.

A resistance 30 is preferably placed in the shunt circuit for each relay coil 23a to limit current flow to a safe value.

The conductor sections p", 1" to 7 and w are displaced longitudinally in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the train through the loading station, as depicted in FIG. 1. The obvious reasons for this is to cause the plow P, the spouts 14 and the wheels W to be raised in advance of the passage of the caboose past these points.

The cars 10 to be loaded are detailed as to structure in FIGS. 3-8. With reference now to these views, each car includes a body of any desired configuration supported upon a frame 33 which is carried by wheeled trucks 34 at each end thereof. The car wheels 35 are arranged to run on rails 36 which establish a track for the train to run through the loading station. Each car is provided with the usual springs 37 associated with the trucks so that as the car is progressively loaded, the car body in particular will be progressively lowered as springs 37 are progressively compressed. This is an important aspect of the car structure, as will be detailed hereinafter since flow of the material into any car is automatically cut off after the car has lowered on its springs to a predetermined level which characterizes a predetermined weight of the material in the car.

Each car 10, as illustrated in this particular embodiment of the invention, has a substantially cylindrical con-' figuration extending for a major portion of its length and the end walls 38 preferably converge in the downward direction to better cooperate with dumping mechanism located at the lower part of the car body. This dumping mechanism indicated generally at 40 includes wheels 41, 42 at opposite sides of the car which are arranged to be operated when the train reaches the unloading station. When wheel 41 is caused to rotate, this results in opening of the dump doors 43. Thereafter, when wheel 42 is caused to rotate and while the car is proceeding in the same direction, the unloading of the fluent material from the cars also taking place while the train is moving, the dump doors 43 are re-closed. The dumping mechanism may take various forms and hence the particular structural details have not been included in the application. However, one suitable dumping arrangement is disclosed in my prior Patent No. 3,080,075, granted Mar. 5, 1963.

Each car is provided with a hatch 44 which extends longitudinally at the top of the car and for substantially the entire length thereof. The solid fluent material is discharged from the storage container S through the spouts 14 into the car through this hatch and the hatch way is protected against the elements by a hatch cover 45 which is connected to the car body along one side of the hatch for movement between a horizontal closed position and a substantially vertical open position. The hatch cover may also include the usual boardwalk 45a at the upper side for use by trainmen. The connections for the hatch cover include a torsion shaft 46 which extends along one side of the hatch and is mounted for rotation about its axis in spaced bearing sleeves 47 secured along the car body. Located between the bearing sleeves 47 are brackets 48 which have sleeve portions 48 that surround shaft 46 and are rigidly secured to this shaft. Brackets 48 are in turn rigidly secured to the hatch cover 45 so that as shaft 46 is rotated, the hatch cover 45 will be caused to turn about the axis of this shaft between its closed and open positions.

For actuating the hatch cover on each car, a mast 50 is provided. This mast is preferably located midway between the ends of the hatch cover and is secured at its lower end to a sleeve 51 which surrounds shaft 46. Sleeve 51 includes a keyway 52 which is purposely made somewhat wider than the key 53 on shaft 46 by which sleeve 51 is coupled to this shaft so as to effect rotation of the latter, this arrangement permitting an initial lost-motion rotary displacement of mast 50 before picking up shaft 46 which enables a locking device for the cover to be unlatched before starting the opening movement of the cover.

The locking device for the hatch cover includes a latch bolt 54. One end of this latch bolt is connected to mast 50 by a pin-and-slot coupling 55 and the other end is adapted to enter a keeper hole 56 provided at one side of the hatch. Bolt 54 passes through a bearing sleeve 57 at the underside of the cover and a compression spring 58 surrounding bolt 54 at one end of this sleeve applies a biasing force to the bolt tending to maintain the end of the bolt in the keeper hole 56. Thus during the initial rotary movement of mast 50, latch bolt 54 will be retracted from keeper hole 56 thus unlatching the cover and freeing it for an opening movement as mast 50 is further rotated and picks up the torsion shaft 46 to which the hatch cover 45 is secured.

Located at the upper end of mast 50 is a roller 59 mounted for rotation about a shaft 49 which extends vertically upward when mast 50 occupies its vertical position which corresponds to the closed position of the hatch cover, This roller 59 which may take the form of a pneumatic tire is adapted to be engaged by one side of the V-shaped plow P as shown in FIG. 5, and as the tire 59 moves along the plow surface which is oblique to the line of travel of the car, mast 50 will be caused to rotate from the upright position shown in full lines in FIG. 8 to the horizontal position shown in broken lines. Simultaneously, hatch cover 45 moves from its closed, horizontal position shown in full lines to the vertical, open position shown in broken lines. The hatch cover and mast are also shown in FIGS. and 6 respec tively in their two positions. The lateral position of mast 50 with respect to the center line of the car of course reverses when the car is reversed. For this reason, plow P, as shown in FIG. 5, is made symmetrical about its center line to provide a roller engaging surface on either side of the center line thus assuring opening of the hatch cover when mast 50 is located on either side of the center line of the car.

Secured along the side of hatch cover 45 opposite shaft 46 is a longitudinally extending bracket 60 to which a cam plate 61 is secured. The means for securing plate 61 to bracket 60 includes a plurality of longitudinally spaced slot and bolt connections. One of these is detailed in FIG. 9 and is seen to include a slot 62 in cam plate 61 and a fastening bolt 63 which passes through the slot into a hole in bracket 60. The slotted connection makes it possible to adjust the height of the cam plate above the track and the reason for this will shortly become apparent.

The outer edge 61a of the cam plate functions essentially as a cam track for cooperation with a cam follower pin 64 located on spout 14 as shown in FIG. 11 and which controls opening and closing of a gate 65 associated with the discharge outlet and located at the upper entrance end to spout 14. Gate 65 can take a variety of forms and in the particular embodiment which has been illustrated, the gate is constructed as a slide plate having an aperture 65a which is arranged to be shifted laterally between a closed position wherein a non-apertured portion of the plate closes off the discharge outlet and an open position wherein the apertured portion 65a is aligned with the discharge outlet. For actuating the gate 65, the illustrated embodiment includes a solenoid 66 having an energizing coil 67 and an armature core 68 adapted to be drawn into the coil whenever the coil is energized. Armature core 68 is secured to one side of slide plate 65 and a biasing tension spring 69 is secured to the opposite side of this plate so as to cause the plate to pull back to its closed position as soon as solenoid coil 67 is deenergized. Coil 67 is connected in an energizing circuit which includes a voltage source represented by battery 70 and the contacts of a switch 71 which is actuated by the cam follower pin 64. Switch 71 is either open or closed dependent upon whether or not cam track 61a is engaged with its follower pin 64. Such engagement will take place until the car 10 has become fully loaded thus maintaining the discharge outlet from the storage container open. As soon, however, as any car has received its predetermined full load of the solid fluent material from the storage container, cam track 61a will no longer make contact with the cam follower pin 64 and flow will be cut off into that particular car. As previously explained, this disengagement between cam track 61a and follower pin 64 results from a sinking of the car on its springs to a point where contact between the two is no longer possible.

Since the end walls 38 of the car slope convergently in the downward direction, it is preferred to so contour the cam track 61a, as shown in FIG. 4, that the end portions 61a slope upwardly in a convergent manner. This inverse matching as between the longitudinal contour of the cam track and the longitudinal contour of the car thus enables each car to be more uniformly loaded as to height of material in the car.

Operation While it is believed that the general sequence of operations will be clear from the preceding detailed description of the improved loading system, the operations can be summarized as follows:

As a train of cars shown in FIG. 2 approaches the loading station S, and after locomotive 11 passes under the raised plow P, the bridging conductor bar 27 on the locomotive will connect the conductors of section p causing relay apparatus 22 associated with the plow to energize motor M which then lowers the plow. As the locomotive proceeds through the loading station, conductor bar 27 will connect the conductors of sections 1' to 7' and w in succession thus causing each relay apparatus 22 associated therewith to lower the discharge spouts 14 associated respectively with the discharge openings 1-7 and the hatch cover closing wheels W in succession just behind the locomotive. As previously explained, plow W is lowered to its operating position before the first car 10 behind the locomotive reaches it and hence the hatch cover 45 on this car and the hatch covers on the cars behind it will be opened in succession as the roller 59 on each car mast 50 rolls along the plow. As the cars 10 reach the line of lowered spouts 14, the upwardly facing cam track 61 on each car will be in its proper position to make contact with and actuate the cam follower 64 associated with each spout so that the discharge outlets are opened and the fluent material is fed into the car hatches 44. As previously explained, each car will sink progressively on its springs as the total weight of the material fed into the car increases, and flow of material into any particular car will be cut off as soon as the cam track 61 has dropped to the point where it is no longer able to make contact with the cam follower 64 on any discharge spout. There is no possibility for discharging any of the material from any of the spouts into the gap between adjacent cars since the discharge from any spout is cut off as soon as the cam track on each car leaves the cam follower. This Positive control over the discharge of material is an important feature in that it permits progressive filling of any ore car by material discharged from a plurality of discharge spouts in succession as the car moves, in a given direction, beneath a succession of such discharge spouts each of which providesduring the time interval the car is beneath the spout-only a fractional part of the total filling for a car.

When the loaded cars reach the lowered wheels W, one such wheel, depending upon whether the hatch cover has been swung to the left when opened as shown in FIG. 8, or to the right, will strike against the open hatch cover thus initiating its closing movement and the cover will complete such movement due to gravitational force.

When the caboose 12 now reaches the conductor section p located in advance of plow W, its conductor bar 29 will connect the two conductors of this section thus causing the relay apparatus 22 associated therewith to raise the plow in advance of passage of the caboose under the same. Similarly, as the caboose proceeds through the loading station, conductor bar 29 will connect the conductors of sections 1"'to 7" and w" in succession thus causing each relay apparatus 22 associated therewith to raise the discharge spouts and the hatch cover closing wheels in succession just ahead of passage of the caboose.

This completes one loading cycle for the car train and the loading system is thereby restored to its initial condition in readiness for the approach of the next car train to be loaded.

In conclusion, while the invention has been described with reference to its application to automatic loading of a train of cars on a trackway while the train is in motion, the underlying principles of the invention are equally applicable to similar automatic loading of any type of moving receptacle which is spring mounted on a wheeled vehicle and wherein it is desired to terminate discharge of material as soon as a predetermined weight of such material has been fed into the receptacle.

I claim:

1. In a system for loading solid fluent material, the combination comprising a loading station including a storage container for the material, an outlet from said container, means including a cam follower controlled means for elfecting discharge of the material from said outlet, a vehicle including a receptacle spring-mounted on a wheeled truck, a loading hatch extending longitudinally at the upper part of said receptacle, a hatch cover, said hatch cover being movable between a closed position and a substantially vertical open position and including a longitudinally extending cam track facing upwardly when said hatch cover occupies its open position, means arranging said vehicle for movement along a path of travel as will carry said hatch under said container outlet, means located at the approach side to said loading station for actuating said hatch cover to its open position, said cam track then being engageable with said cam follower means when said vehicle reaches said loading station for elfecting discharge of the material into said hatch while the vehicle is moving, said cam track becoming disengaged from said cam follower means by lowering of said receptacle on its springs thereby to terminate discharge of the material when a predetermined weight of the material has been loaded into said receptacle, and means located at the de- 10 parture side from said loading station for reclosing said hatch cover.

2. In a system for loading solid fluent material into a train of cars while the train is moving past a loading station, said train including a locomotive at one end, the combination comprising a storage container at said loading station for the material, a plurality of outlets from said container arranged in line above a trackway along which the train travels, each said outlet including a discharge spout movable between an upper position for clearing said locomotive and a lower operating position, each said car including a spring-mounted car body having a dumping mechanism at the lower part thereof, a loading hatch extending longitudinally at the upper part of said car body, a hatch cover, said hatch cover being movable between a closed position and a substantially vertical open position, means on each said car body cooperable with means at each of said container outlets for effecting discharge of the fluent material into said car bodies, means responsible to the lowering of said car body on its springs for terminating discharge of material from said container outlets into any particular car body when said car body has been filled with a predetermined amount of the material, means located at the approach side to said line of container outlets and movable between an upper position clearing said locomotive and a lower operating position for actuating said hatch covers in succession to their open position, means located at the departure side from said line of container outlets and movable between an upper position clearing said locomotive and a lower operating position for actuating said hatch covers in succession to their closed position, means controlled by said locomotive and actuated just after said locomotive passes said hatch cover opening means and said line of discharge spouts and said hatch cover closing means for lowering said hatch cover opening means and said discharge spouts and said cover closing means in succession to their operating positions, and means for raising said hatch cover opening means and said discharge spouts and said hatch cover closing means in succession to the locomotive clearing positions.

3. In a system for loading solid fluent material into a train of cars while said train is moving past a loading station, said train including a locomotive at one end and a caboose at the other end, the combination comprsing a storage container for the material, a plurality of outlets from said container arranged in line above a trackway along which the train travels, each said outlet including a discharge spout movable between an upper position clearing said locomotive and caboose and a lower operating position, cam follower controlled means individual to each said outlet for controlling the material discharged therefrom, each said car including a car body spring-mounted on a wheeled truck, said car body including a dumping mechanism at the lower part thereof, a loading hatch extending longitudinally at the upper part of said car body, a hatch cover, said hatch cover being movable between a closed position and a substantially vertical open position, said hatch cover including a longitudinally extending cam surface facing upwardly when said hatch cover is in the open position, means located at the approach side to said line of container outlets and movable between an upper position clearing said locomotive and caboose and a lower operating position cooperable with means on each said hatch cover for actuating said hatch covers in succession to their open position, said cam surfaces on said open hatch covers being engageable with said cam followers for effecting discharge of the fluent material into said car bodies, said cam surfaces becoming disengaged individually from said cam followers to cut off the discharge of fluent material when a pre determined weight of the material has been loaded into a particular car body, means located at the departure side from said line of container outlets and movable between an upper position clearing said locomotive and caboose 1 1 and a lower operating position for actuating said hatch covers in succession to their closed position, means controlled by said locomotive and actuated just after said locomotive passes said hatch cover opening means and said line of discharge spouts and said hatch cover closing means for lowering said hatch cover opening means and said discharge spouts and said cover closing means in succession to their operating positions, and means controlled by said caboose and actuated just before said caboose reaches said hatch cover opening means and said line of discharge spouts and said hatch cover closing means for raising said hatch cover opening means and said discharge spouts and said hatch cover closing means in succession to the locomotive and caboose clearing positions.

4. A system as defined in claim 3 for loading a train of cars wherein said means controlled by said locomotive and caboose respectively for lowering and then raising said hatch cover opening means, said discharge spouts and said hatch cover closing means are electrically operated and include parallel conductor sections which are temporarily bridged by conductive means on said locomotive and said caboose, respectively.

5. A system as defined in claim 3 for loading a train of cars wherein said means controlled by said locomotive and caboose respectively for lowering and then raising said hatch cover opening means, said discharge spouts and said hatch cover closing means include electrical control relays therefor, energization and de-energization of said control relays being effected by means of parallel conductor sections which are temporarily bridged by'conductive means on said locomotive and said caboose, respectively.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT G. SHERIDAN, Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,374,908 March 26, 1968 Paul F. Giesking It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 10, line 20, for "responsible" read responsive Signed and sealed this 22nd day of July 1969.

(SEAL) Attest:

WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR.

Edward M. Fletcher, J r.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

